3 Digital Tools to Enhance Teaching & Learning

3 technologies that would be a new approach and potentially useful in a Colgate faculty’s arsenal of teaching tools. I describe the tool and how it impacts the teaching and learning process according to the SAMR model.

i-Clickers are a good example of “substitution”according to the SAMR model. i-Clickers are substituting for pencil and paper during a quiz or survey in the classroom. They require a handheld electronic device be given to each student in order to participate and the benefits are anonymous, real-time feedback to the instructor.

Socrative is a web-based quiz tool that can be accessed on any computer or mobile device that has different options as how to create quizzes in ways that will engage students in friendly competition and help them collaborate with one another when put into teams. Socrative can take the place of traditional i-Clickers in that the quizzes can be accessed on any mobile device. Students need only bring a Smartphone to class to engage in the learning activity. It provides formative assessments with multiple choice, short answer or true/false.

Tiki-toki is a web-based software for creating interactive timelines that can be shared online. It can be used in any browser and the basic account is free. Tiki-Toki allows images and videos (from Youtube and Vimeo) and each timeline has a unique URL you can share out. The upgraded version allows you to embed a timeline on your website. This tool enables students to construct and present content knowledge, easily visualize events and dates, all while actively participating in the learning process. Other options are TimelineJS and Prezi.

Tiki-Toki & the SAMR Model

Substitution: use Tiki-Toki to create a timeline via the Web instead of drawing it on paper or whiteboard.

Augmentation: use Tiki-Toki to create more interactive timelines with the tools that enable you to integrate images and video.

Modification: use Tiki-Toki to create a timeline to manage a project or map out a plan in a more visual way.

Redefinition: Collaborate on working on the same timeline project, and share work with a broad audience.